Of Snakes and Spells
by dracodragon101
Summary: Upperclassmen decide the ickle firsties of Slytherin need to be initiated properly, and unknowingly catch Draco in the crosshairs. Now, Draco finds himself asking Hermione for help with removing the curse; And asking Harry for something else entirely.
1. Chapter 1

"Granger!"

Hermione froze mid-step when she heard her name hissed from the shadows of an alcove. Setting her previous thoughts aside, she turned towards the alcove, and the voice within it, and put her hands on her hips impatiently when nothing further was said. Making a show of it, she cast a quick tempus and glared irritably back at the alcove, nearly jumping in fright when it responded.

"Oh, forgive me for the intrustion _Mudblood_, I didn't realize you were the only one in a rush. Get over here, and be quick. Someone could see you any minute now."

Pursing her lips at the derogatory word, she hurried into the darkness of the alcove with her wand firmly in hand.

"What is it Malfoy? Hurry up and spit it out, and I _don't_ mean that word."

Malfoy feined innocence and put his hands up, showing he had no wand at hand.

"I had to get your attention so you'd quit dawdling about the hallway like a damned troll. And for the record, that _word_ is just that. Nothing but a word. You're good with those, right?"

"What of it? Surely you didn't play hide-away in an alcove just to tell me that."

When he didn't respond immediately she urged, "Go on, then, get on with whatever it is you want! I _am _in a hurry."

Malfoy huffed and looked to the wall behind Hermione, struggling to string together the sentences he so desperately needed to get out.

"I... There was an... accident. Yes, accident is a good word. Someone threw... There was a duel of sorts in my common room, and... Well it was aimed at-"

"Please _do_ hurry Draco. I really want to get there soon, so I don't lose my seat. Can we finish this later?" Hermione asked, checking the time again.

Malfoy sighed in defeat and dropped his head, which had raised at the use of his given name.

"Fine Granger, you want short? I'll give you short. Duel. Hexes. Misfire. Curse. ME. Problem. Fix it _now_.." Daring a glance up at the bushy-haired witch in front of him, Malfoy saw that she was bouncing dangerously between disbelief, impatience, and amusement, and he couldn't afford it to be any of the three. He sighed heavily, and whispered wistfully, "Please..."

Embarassed, he hung his head and let his hair cascade across his face, hiding his reddened cheeks.

Hermione sighed quietly, more to herself than to Malfoy, and put her hands on his shoulders carefully.

"I understand how hard that was to say... so... just... stay here. Okay? Stay right here in this alcove, and I'll be right back."

Malfoy's head shot up, and his eyes glinted in brief terror. He opened his mouth to say something to stop her, but she cut him off before he even started.

"And no, Malfoy, I'm not off to tell anyone. I'm bumping my appointment before it's lost for good, so I have time to help you. Just stay there, and I _will_ be right back."

He closed his mouth and nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment.

'Gods what have I been reduced to... asking for anything, let alone help from that Mudblood... I swear if she can't help me I'm going to die of embarassment. What if she tells someone? Oh Merlin, she could be telling Potter... shit, this was a bad idea. Very bad. If I leave now, maybe she'll think it was a joke? An... illusion? No, she's far to smart for that.'

Leaning his head against the cold stone wall behind him, Malfoy sighed at his inner defeat.

"Fuck me."

"Tempting offer, but I'm afraid I don't go that way."

Malfoy's eyes shot open, and he sneered at the speaker.

"As if I would offer it to _you._ I was merely thinking out loud. Besides, what way is it exactly you 'don't go'?"

"Blondes, of course. Miss me?" Hermione stepped deeper into the alcove with Malfoy, and smirked.

"Never. So? Are you going to help me?"

Hermione sighed, folding her arms across her chest.

"You've yet to tell me what, exactly, it is I'm supposed to be helping you _with_."

Malfoy mimicked her folded-arms stance, and huffed.

"Well if _you_ hadn't been in such a bloody hurry, I might've actually managed to get that bit out."

Hermione waved her hand in the air to show concession, so he continued.

"As I was saying before, I got hit with a curse in the middle of a rather... heated... duel."

"What were you doing dueling? Let alone at school, I can only imagine the trouble you'd be in if-"

"It wasn't _me _Granger, it was a bunch of idiots I happen to be housed up with! Will you _please_ let me finish one bloody sentence without your interuptions?" Malfoy said, his whisper becoming a harsh sounding hiss.

Hermione nodded, and pursed her lips tightly.

"Thank you. Now. Once _again._ It was most definitely _not_ my duel, but I got hit with this bloody curse anyway. And now, I need you to fix it. Just, do some spell I'm sure you know, and undo the last spell that hit me, or something." Malfoy finished and waved his hand lamely, blowing hair out of his face and looking back at Hermione.

What he saw wasn't very promising. She was looking at anything she could to avoid his gaze. Frowing, he kicked his foot towards her to get her attention.

"Well? Can you do it, or not?"

"I'm sorry... I don't know of any spell like that." Hermione hasted to continue, sensing Malfoy's anger, "At least, not right _now._ If I could just research it, I'm positive I could find something! But..."

"But what, _Mudblood._ My patience has vastly run out."

"But... If you could just tell me what symptoms you've having, or.. or better yet what the exact curse _was_, I could find out right now how to fix it! For sure..."

Malfoy visibly paled at her implication.

"I'm not telling you my bloody symptoms."

"Well why not? Do you want my help, or not?" Hermione stood forcefully and put her hands on her hips.

"Want, Granger? No. I'd rather suck my own cock before I ever go so low as to _want_ anything from you. But need, is a different matter altogether. I _need_ you."

"Then you _need_ to tell me what you're experiencing." 

"That's not going to happen."

"Fine. Don't ask me for help again, I won't give it. Bye Malfoy."

"Damnit! Fine." Malfoy grabbed her arm as she headed towards the opening and swivelled her around to face him, then shoved her harshly against the wall and pressed his whole body flush against hers.

Grabbing the hands she was pressing against him, he pinned them against the wall above her head and leaned his face closer to hers, whispering against her skin, "There. Can you feel my symptoms? Are you bloody well satisfied yet?"

Hermione shook her head fearfully, her heart thumping entirely too loudly in her own ears to comprehend anything else that was happening. What was she supposed to feel exactly?

Grunting angrily Malfoy bucked his hips forward and ground against Hermione for a split second, before releasing her arms and turning away from her altogether. She couldn't be allowed to see his embarassment.

Hermione stood with her hands limp at her side, trying to comprehend what Malfoy was trying to get her to see. How could _she_ possibly comprehend _his_ symptoms?

Mulling over the encounter in her head, she suddenly felt as if she had been doused with ice water. The grabbing, the touching, the the bucking...

"Oh god..."

Malfoy winced as she spoke, knowing she realized his predicament.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took a deep breath and waited for her to continue.

"Malfoy? Are... are you saying that... Is that a symptom?"

He sneered and turned his head slightly so she could see his face.

"No Granger. Of course not. I dream about touching your body with mine every night when I lay down to sleep. Of _course_ that's a bloody symptom."

"Is that.. all?"

"Is that all? Are you dense? It's not a small problem I'm talking about here. This isn't some... troublesome erection, Granger, this is a serious issue. That duel? It was _three weeks ago_. Three bloody weeks, and _this_ thing hasn't gone away, not once!" He gestured roughly towards his groin, and the obvious hardness it held.

Hermione flushed at his gesturing, her eyes trying to stay far away from the entire area Malfoy encompassed.

"Have you tried...you know? Or a shower, or.. something?"

"Yes. Yes to any other ridiculous ideas you pop out too. I've shagged half my house, and enough of the other three houses to fill a bloody brothel and a half. It. Will. Not. Go. Away. I can't even-" He hesitated, unsure if he should tell her the rest of it or not.

Sighing, he decided to get all the humiliation out of him now. Almost...

"I can't even come, Granger. Nothing I've tried has worked, and the longer it goes, the more I think about P.." His eyes widened and he clamped his mouth shut.

Hermione stared at him, trying to wrap her head around what he had said.

"So... you're obsessed with... someone? This curse did that to you?"

"...yes. No. Sort of. Amplified it more like."

"Okay... and... have you tried...?"

"Have I tried what?" Malfoy looked mollified at the very idea of approaching the lover in his wetdreams.

"You know... having a go with her?"

"Her? Her who, Granger?"

Hermione blushed, and continued, "Pansy. Isn't that who it's about?"

Malfoy could do nothing to stop the dropping of his jaw as he gaped at her.

"Wait.. you think...Pug-nose? Bloody hell, never! She's absolutely insufferable. Barring that, she is thankfully enamoured with Blaise."

"Well... then who? Never mind, I'm not sure I want to know. So, just making thing clear... you _haven't_ tried approaching this person?"

"No."

Hermione sighed, unable to think of anything better to say at the moment.

"Maybe... maybe you should?" Seeing the horror-struck look on Malfoy's face, she added, "Just... at least while I do some research. It sounds like maybe a spell that has effects similar to Amortentia, but... severely altered. I have to find out what it is before I can help you Malfoy, I'm sorry."

"So, that's it then? I just continue on about my business hard as stone and completely engrossed with... Bloody hell, you're supposed to be an insufferable know-it-all Granger! You're hardly holding up to your reputation." Malfoy ran an agitated hand through his hair and grit his teeth together.

"I'm sorry... I wish I could help you, really, I do! I just... can't..." Hermione drooped her head solemnly and chewed her bottom lip.

Malfoy felt a twinge of guilt and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's alright... I guess there's nothing to be done right now. Just... Swear to me you won't tell anyone about this? That's the _last_ thing I need right now."

Hermione's brow furrowed, but she nodded. There were so many books she would need to reference, and many probably weren't even at Hogwarts right now.

"I swear it Malfoy, no one will know I was even here."

"Thanks... And thank you, Hermione. For the help." Malfoy kept his gaze down until he heard her footsteps fade away down the hallway, then straightened his robes to cover his erection. Taking a deep breath, he strode out of the alcove purposefully, head held high, and slammed into a very solid body.

A very _warm, _very solid body.

Looking up with a sneer on the edge of his face, Malfoy's face fell into a gape of shock.

He was on his back, his arms propping him up and his feet heavily tangled with the legs of the solid body partially under him.

His groin was very much visible, very much tented, and very much under the scrutiny of a very green gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh my goodness! So many likes and saves and favs! I really appreciate you guys showing such enthusiasm for this story already, so I decided to post the pre-written Chapter Two a bit early. Okay, a lot early. 7-7;**

**If you have suggestions, do not feel at all hesitant about posting them in a review! I welcome any criticism, good or bad.**

**[Also, just a side-note, I can't promise multi-daily postings like this ALL the time. I just happened to have the next chappie already written. ;D]**

**D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H and D and H**

Malfoy found his throat was suddenly too dry for a snide remark, and his body too electric to shove the boy away.

So he did the next best thing, of course... He looked into the eyes of Harry Potter, begging him to look away from his painfully obvious erection long enough to let Malfoy see his reaction.

When Harry finally did look up, he didn't look into Malfoy's gaze.

He turned his head sheepishly to the side and blushed bright scarlet, much to the surprise of the fair-haired boy underneath his legs.

"S...sorry... I... I'll just go... sorry..."

When Harry shifted his hips in a poorly executed attempt to untangle himself and stand up, Malfoy felt a sudden firmness stab the underside of his thigh.

He inhaled sharply, his own cock twitching at the prospect that Harry was just as hard as he was.

Harry blushed even further, clamping his eyes shut in humiliation and trying not to let out a moan at the delicious contact his cock had just made with Malfoy.

Malfoy, however, wanted to get that moan out of him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, letting his thigh drop slowly back against Harry's upper thigh and groin. Harry let out a small involuntary whimper, and Malfoy's breath hitched at the sound.

"Mm...alfoy? Could... could you not do that? Again? Please?" Harry's eyes were still firmly shut as he tried to block out everything that was happening. After all, he probably didn't see that erection in Malfoy's pants. It was probably nothing more than his trousers being the wrong size, or something... right? There's no way Malfoy was hard. There was even _less_ way that it was because of him. He was _probably_ off to see Pansy.

"Yeah, Pansy..." Harry trailed off his thoughts out loud, and Malfoy tensed.

"What did you just say Potter?" Malfoy couldn't help but feel angry that Harry had just insinuated he was Pansy... or something... he never did make sense after all.

Harry's emerald eyes shot open as he realized he'd been thinking out loud. How far had he gotten? How much did he say?

"I... em...I dunno?" he looked up at Malfoy hopefully.

Malfoy shot that idea down with a flat stare and pursed lips.

"Don't fuck with me, Potter. What did you just call me?"

"I didn't... I didn't call you anything Malfoy..." Harry stuttered, turning his head to the side bashfully.

"Bullshit, you just said a name, and I'm the only one here. What did you say?" Malfoy glared at him, eyebrows deeply furrowed in irritation.

Harry couldn't respond without blushing, so he turned his head to the side once more and muttered a quiet, "...I said... Yeah, Pansy."

He turned back up to look at Malfoy quickly, stumbling over himself as he grasped hold of the mistake he had made. Malfoy thought he was calling _him_ Pansy!

"I didn't mean... I wasn't saying _you_ were, I just... I meant... oh bugger I can't think straight."

Malfoy's mouth quirked up to the side in a slightly smile as Harry finished.

"You mean, you're thinking queer, Potter? I never thought I'd see the day." he grinned with smug satisfaction as he saw the look on Harry's face. It seemed to radiate sheer embarassment.

"Shut up Malfoy. You... you're just stupid." Harry finished lamely, only vaguely aware of how childish he sounded.

Malfoy's smirk slowly disintegrated as the seconds ticked by, and his cock throbbed painfully in his trousers. Unfortunately for him, his cock decided that it wanted to twitch in rebellion just as Harry's eyes started lifting back up to catch Malfoy's again. The gasp that escaped Harry's mouth was music to Malfoy's ears, causing his hips to roll towards Harry of their own accord, and his throat to let the tiniest of moans escape.

"Sorry... again... I should really go... I'm sorry I ran into you.. and.. this... and... 'msorry." Harry stuttered, chewing his lip in frustration.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, and sighed.

"Oh, quit the stumbling, I'm obviously hard as you've noticed, and from what I can tell you're in no better shape. So, the way I see it we have only a handful of options." Malfoy lifted his chin in the air ever so slightly, trying to feign a confidence and superiority he most definitely did not feel at the moment, and waited for Harry to react.

All Harry could do was stare, unfortunately, and Malfoy sighed.

"I don't bite unless told to, Potter. Now. Shall we stand up and walk away, pretending this never happened?" Malfoy's voice lilted up in pitch at the end of his sentence, letting the "or..." infer itself.

All Harry could do was stare blankly at Malfoy, trying desperately to tell the little voice in his head that Malfoy definitely was _not_ insinuating what he thought he was. Malfoy just wouldn't _do_ that. He was a Slytherin, he was a male, he was a... well, a very _handsome_ male. Very handsome indeed. Handsome... and hard. Harry mentally shivered as he remembered the hard point lifting Malfoy's trousers so high off his thighs. Then something struck him.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes Potter?" he quirked one perfectly shaped eyebrow up, eyeing Harry warily.

Harry chewed his lip nervously, and asked, "You... you're hard."

Malfoy rolled his eyes and put a playful sneer across his face.

"My, so you _have_ noticed the painfully obvious. What of it?"

"It... it hasn't gone away."

"No. It hasn't. Get to the point." Malfoy's lips pressed together in a hard line, not wanting to tell Harry just how long it 'hasn't gone away' _for._

Harry felt a sudden chill, and he shivered. He hadn't realized how flushed his skin had become.

"So... what if... " he couldn't continue past the lump in his throat, so he sighed in resignation.

Malfoy leaned in closer to Harry and made him look up into his eyes.

"What if...? Talk, Potter. If I was going to embarass you, I'd have done it by now."

Harry nodded mutely, glancing down at Malfoy's erection again briefly before continuing.

"Well... What are the other options? You know, if... if..."

Malfoy smirked, his heart flipping briefly at Harry's continuous blushing.

'Damn curse must be messing with my emotions', he thought, mentally shaking his head and answering Harry's silent question out loud.

"What if one of us doesn't want to walk away?"

Harry took a deep breath and nodded.

"Well. Assuming one or more parties in an agreement are not happy with the current offers... They make a counter offer. In this case, if you don't want to walk away Potter, you make a suggestion."

Malfoy noted the panicked look in Harry's eyes and continued.

"But, as you're too busy going back and forth between staring at my trousers and stammering over your words, I'll do it for you." He paused briefly, as if in thought. "If, for whatever reason, you don't want to walk away, my counter-offer is that we do something about the predicament we're in." Malfoy nodded in finality, hoping Harry wouldn't walk away.

Harry's eyes flicked to Malfoy's mouth as he was talking, and slowly started taking in all of his features. Sharp jaw and chin with skin so pale it seemed to blend into the fine blond hair by his ears and forehead. Angular eyebrows that seemed perpetually quirked were set against soft gray eyes that seemed to convey emotions Malfoy could never feel. One of those eyebrows shot up under Harry's scrutiny, jolting him back to the problem at hand.

"Erm... What do you mean, do something? You... you aren't bent, and you probably want to kill _me_ for being that way." Harry gulped back the lob in his throat at his admission. How could he have just said that to Malfoy? He hadn't even told Hermione and Ron yet, let alone anyone else. Now he was probably going to die without ever getting a proper shag from a bloke.

When he looked up at Malfoy, all he saw was a blank stare of shock, so he leaned on his left arm to try once more to get up and untangled.

Before he could do much more than lean, Malfoy's hand had grabbed his right arm and pulled him down again forcefully.

"You are _so_ not leaving without explaining Potter. So start explaining and do it fast. Now, not tomorrow!" Malfoy's hand squeezed Harry's arm as he shook him to get his attention.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a hallway, probably late for something or other, and both of our cock's are hard enough to pierce the suit of armor over there. Start explaining."

Harry's cock twitched appreciatively when Malfoy acknowledged both of their erections.

"What's there to explain? You said it yourself, we're both hard."

"...And?"

"And what? And... and I'm gay. No more and, just... gay." Harry closed his eyes in resignation, waiting for Malfoy's curse to hit him.

But it didn't. Nothing happened, so he opened his eyes and looked into Malfoy's.

"Malfoy? Are you-"

"Draco."

"What?" Harry's eyebrows furrowed, and Malfoy's eyes just rolled.

"My name is Draco."

"I... er... I know that, you know..."

"Then use it." Draco smirked at Harry's obvious confusion, and chuckled slightly.

"I told you, I don't bite unless told to. So unless you ask, I won't bite you. I just prefer to be on first name basis with men who's cocks I've touched."

Draco made a point to press his thigh against Harry's cock again, resulting in a barely audible hiss escaping through Harry's clenched teeth.

Harry's eyes opened finally, and took in the sight of Draco again. Is he saying he's bent too? How long? With whom? Since when?

"Draco... are you... how long?"

Draco openly chuckled at the question, and decided to be childish for just one moment at least.

"How long is my cock? You'll have to find _that_ out for yourself." he winked for show and a grin spread across his face when Harry sputtered and turned scarlet again.

"That isn't what I meant."

"I know."

"So?"

"So what Potter? Do you wanna shag me, or not? That's the question you have yet to answer." Draco teasingly rotated his hips, knowing Harry could feel the movement.

"Actually, Harry isn't going to answer that Malfoy. I am. And no, you aren't going to touch him with your filthy hands, let alone any other part of that disgusting body of yours."

Harry's face went from scarlet to pasty so fast his head started spinning, as he looked up at the new visitor.

Draco's face didn't visibly change, but his heart stopped for at least a full 3 seconds before he plastered a sneer across his face.

"I think that's up to Harry, don't you think Weasel?"

Ginny returned the sneer, and spat, "Of course it is. But _Harry_ isn't a queer-freak, unlike _you_ Malfoy. Isn't that right Harry?"

Her voice turned into a coo when she faced Harry and leaned down to kiss him.

Draco's eyes averted at the gesture, not wanting to witness the repulsive Baby-Weasel touching Harry. It wasn't because he wanted Harry to himself, that certainly wasn't it at all. It had to be the Weaselette. Yes, had to be.

Harry noticed Draco's discomfort, and felt a burst of confidence shoot through his veins. Using it, he turned his head away from Ginny and grimaced openly.

"Actually, Gin, I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

Ginny stopped short and her face fell back into a sneer.

"What's there to talk about, Harry? You _aren't_ bent are you? Harry answer me! Are you bent?"

She stomped her foot angrily, waiting for an answer.

Harry looked between Draco and Ginny, trying to decide if he should just go with Ginny now and forget any of this had happened, or tell Ginny the truth about his sexuality and...

A look at the puce colour of Ginny's face, and the angry blotches all over her disgustingly freckled skin made up his mind for him, before he even began to take in the more feminine features of her face. Features he didn't find attractive in the least bit.

Pressing hips lips together, the familiar cold grasp of adrenalin soared through his veins, giving him a confidence he was sure he was going to regret later. He pushed aside the pounding in his chest, and tilted his chin up a fraction of an inch in false stoicism.

Harry turned his head towards Draco again, catching his gaze and pleading silently for him not to kill him for what he was about to do.

Still feeling the icy flames of confidence and adrenalin in his veins, he jumped forward and shoved Draco flush against the ground, straddling his waist with his legs and pressing his arms down above his head. Leaning his head down to Draco's ear, he whispered, "Forgive me...", and trailed his lips down Draco's jaw, hovering above his lips.

Turning his face slightly towards Ginny, Harry smirked, then turned back and pressed his lips down to Draco's firmly. Just before his eyes drifted closed, he caught a glimpse of something in Draco's eyes... Hope?


	3. Chapter 3

**I apologize for missing a day, there is a lot going on IRL at the moment that really dampens my ability to do much of anything in the way of writing.  
It is for this same reason that I must warn you: In a few days time I will be out of house and home, with no where to go at present, and will therefore have no way to access any sort of internet connection. I don't want to ruin your storytime though, so I'll just leave it at that. :] Enjoy though, and please do continue with the liking, and reviewing, and such. It makes me happy. C:**

***dd101* **

Ginny's puce coloured face cringed in horror and bile made its way up her throat as she watched her Harry kissing the filthy blonde haired boy underneath him.

Hope was sparked though, when she noted with satisfaction that it was a chaste kiss. Nothing more than a touching of lips. That meant he didn't really like it, right? Which meant he was still hers after all. Which was good. Very good indeed.

Her eyes glinted in a reflection of that hope when she saw Harry pull his face away from Draco's marginally, but quickly dulled again as he turned his face into Draco's neck and started breathing into the blonde's ear. Or was he talking? Merlin what was happening? This wasn't like her Harry, he was supposed to be with _her._ He was supposed to be whispering in _her_ ear. Not _his._ Not any 'he' for that matter, but most definitely not _him._

The 'him' in question was breathing raggedly, trying to swallow what had just happened. Draco began mentally taking note of everything, storing it away for later use, starting with the fact that Harry was straddling his lap. Then he noted that Harry's _very_ obvious erection was pressing firmly against his own, sending waves of pleasurable heat back and forth between their bodies. Emersing himself briefly into those waves, he almost missed what Harry was whispering softly in his ear, tickling the stray hairs nearby.

"I'm sorry, Draco... I... I had to show her, she wouldn't believe anything otherwise. Please understand, I never... I don't... I wouldn't embarass you like that if I had another choice, I..." Harry nuzzled his nose into the crook of Draco's neck, trying to spur a reaction and convey how sorry he was.

Draco swallowed hard and chanced a glance at Ginny. She was standing in the same place she had been, but seemed to radiate disbelief and false hope. Well, two could play at that game, now couldn't they. He wiggled his wrists softly to get Harry to release them, and felt a pang in his chest at how quickly Harry _did_ release him, and the look on his face as he did so. Fear. He didn't want Harry to fear him, he wanted him to... like him. Yes. Like, not love. He certainly wasn't in _love_ with the golden bloody Gryffindor. The twinge of guilt in his stomach argued that point however and Draco softly placed his hands on either side of Harry's face, turning it towards his own.

"Harry, you don't have to turn away from me, and you certainly don't have to apologize for having the balls to do what I've been wanting to do since I ran smack into you. Besides, I rather enjoy watching the weasels squirm, particularly _that_ one." Draco jerked his head towards Ginny without looking away from Harry's eyes.

Rubbing his thumb in a small circle across Harry's temple, Draco pulled Harry back down to his face and softly captured his lips with his own. Wanting to forget Harry was only doing this to make Ginny go away, he focused solely on Harry. His lips were so soft and slightly cooled from his quick breathing, that Draco had no trouble feeling dizzy just from the touch of him. But when Harry's tongue boldly flicked across Draco's bottom lip, Draco couldn't supress the low moan that came tumbling out of his throat, and his chest swelled with a sharp inhalation. He swore he felt Harry's lips quirk up ever so slightly, and would have smacked the git were it not for the wonderfully firm, sweet, soft tongue that was snaking past his guards and into his mouth, effectively stopping any and all communication from leaving his brain.

Harry felt his heart rate increase rapidly when Draco didn't fight his move to deepen the kiss. Merlin, but his mouth was such a warm contrast to the cold mask he always wore. He found himself moaning softly into Draco's mouth as their tongues touched each other for the first time, icy sparks shooting through his veins from every contact point in his body, curling to rest briefly in his stomach and return through his veins as hot as fiendfyre. The electricity between them felt so tangible to the two boys, they each wanted to grab hold of it and wrap each other with it. Draco tried to come as close to doing so has he could, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and pulling him flush against him possessively, growling slightly to emphasize his point.

Draco's growl went straight to Harry's cock in a surge of arousal, and he had to pull away from the kiss to place his forehead on Draco's and catch his breath.

"Draco... Merlin be careful, you're killing me..."

Using the close proximity to his advantage, Draco just smiled an honest smile, and looked hard into Harry's dark Emerald eyes.

"I know..." he whispered.

Ginny, long since forgotten, fainted rather ungracefully and landed in a heap on the cold stone floor.

Harry broke the blissful contact with Draco's eyes and turned around at the noise, gasping in shock.

Whatever he had suspected her reaction would be, it certainly wasn't this. Turning back to Draco, he chuckled lightly in disbelief and grinned like a kid in a candy shop.

"She... she bloody well _fainted_!"

Draco propped himself up on his elbows as Harry sat up, still straddling his waist. They both indulged in a chuckle before Harry's mood sombered.

"Now comes the issue of explaining what happened to Pomfrey."

He turned back to Draco and chewed his lip nervously.

Draco just nodded and was going to suggest that Harry do the taking and he wait until he returned, when a searing pain shot up his left arm, causing his arm to shake as though electrocuted.

"FUCK!" Throwing his head back, Draco bit his lip harshly and slammed his eyes tightly closed, trying to block out the white hot pain that was wreaking havoc on his nervous system.

Harry started panicing, unsure of what to do to calm Draco down. The best thing he could figure to do was find the source of the pain and stop it somehow, so he grabbed Draco's shaking left arm and started rolling his sleeve up, turning his arm around as he did so to check for any indications of what was wrong. He caught a faint glimmer of movement on the skin, and he frantically shoved the sleeve up to the elbow. His hands and heart stopped when he saw what was moving. Slowly, he turned his head back to face Draco, eyes wide in horror and anger.

Draco felt his sleeve moving and his head shot up in terror. No, this wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening, not here not now. He couldn't see that, please don't let him see what's happening, please...

The cold look in Harry's eyes chilled Draco to the core, his stomach bottoming out somewhere south of his knees. He had seen it.

As they stared at each other, Harry's face faintly started twitching around his lips, chin, and nose in a vain attempt to push back the tears that were fighting to escape.

The sight made Draco's heart freeze and clench, so he brought up his hand to touch his cheek reassuringly. Unfortunately, he had used his left arm, which Harry grabbed at the wrist and held away from him.

Unable to hold back the tears any longer, a single tear sliding rapidly down Harry's face was the last glimpse of him he saw before his arm was dropped unceremoniously to the floor and Harry's robes disappeared around the corner.

Looking at his shirt he saw a single, tiny wet spot on his chest, right over his heart. Draco slammed his head back against the floor, revelling in the pain he knew he deserved.

When he felt the prickle of tears building up behind his eyes, he sighed and stood up as quickly as he could, and set a rapid pace for the dungeons. He would need to delve into his stock of pain potions tonight, as he was sure his Mark was going to punish him for the rest of the evening for not responding to the Dark Lord's beckoning.

**Short chappie, but full of emotion. :] **

**Don't forget to review! **


	4. Chapter 4

Harry rounded the final staircase that led to the Gryffindor common room wiping furiously at his eyes, which had burst into drowning tears the second he had turned the corner of the hallway he and Draco were in. No. The hallway he and _Malfoy_ were in. There was no Draco, he was just another of Voldemort's lap toys like his father. Which of course made him a true Malfoy, and Harry saw no reason not to treat him like the family name he had earned.

Looking up, he nearly collided with Neville and had to sidestep quickly to avoid the boy as he hurried out of the common room. Seeing Neville's nose firmly in the new Herbology book Professor Sprout had suggested for him, Harry smiled fondly and stepped into the Common Room before the portrait closed. Touching his face briefly to check for any stray tears, Harry took a deep breath and wandered over to a plush armchair by the fire and sank as low into it as he could.

Hermione was frantically thumbing through one of the numerous books she had checked out when Harry entered. The look on his face caught her off guard and she did a double take, wondering why his face was so puffy and angry. Glancing hesitantly back at the book she was perusing, she grabbed a bookmark and stuffed it into the crack of the page she was on and walked over to Harry's chair. Sitting down by his feet, she put a hand on his knee and smiled softly at him.

"Heya, Harry. Something you wanna talk about?"

Harry's eyes caught Hermione's and her breath hitched at the floundering pain she could see in them.

'I hope this isn't about Ginny... Ron would never forgive her, sister or not, for hurting his best friend... not if he could see him like this...'

At that moment, a haggard looking Ginny appeared through the portrait hole and shuffled drowsily into the room, a highly confused look on her face. Catching sight of Harry in the chair, with Hermione's hand on his thigh in such a sentimental gesture, her eyes lit up in rage. All she could remember was waking up in the middle of a hallway after the strangest dream; She told herself it was a dream anyway, because the alternative was too ridiculous; and now here Harry was in reality, letting another girl touch him! Is that how he treats his girlfriends? Letting other girls feel him up at every opportunity? She'd just have to straighten her Harry out, if they were to expect any kind of happy marriage.

Stomping her feet childishly the whole way, she marched in front of Harry and slapped him as hard as her strength would allow, glaring at Hermione when the girl dared to look up at her.

"How dare you Harry James Potter! How many is this now? I thought you loved me, why would you hurt me like this? I trusted you, Harry."

Harry stared at Ginny quizically, wondering what she was going on about. He'd only kissed Draco... Malfoy... once. And it isn't like he was going around making out with every boy in the school now, just because he was coming out...

"What are you on about Ginny? He was the only one. It doesn't change anything though."

If Ginny's face was surprised, Hermione's was pure shock. _He_? Who is he? What did Harry do with this _he?_

Her brows furrowed as she tried to think of when she had last seen Harry, and what he could have been up to since then that would upset Ginny.

Ginny, however, just stared at him with her mouth gaping slightly, breathing hard.

"You... that wasn't... I dreamed that, you aren't... you aren't, _really_, are you Harry? It was a joke, right? Please tell me it was just a cruel, cruel joke..."

Harry shook his head slowly and smiled sadly at her.

"Gin, I'm sorry. I would have just told you, instead of... of making a show of it, but... you can be so possessive sometimes. I didn't think you'd accept it if I just told you. I would have been right, wouldn't I have? You aren't even believing it, and you _saw_ me kiss him."

Hermione's eyes were bugging out of her head now.

'_kiss him? _Harry kissed a _guy_? First Malfoy came to her, of all people, for help with... well that... and now Harry was kissing _blokes?_'

Ginny looked away from Harry, scanning the room absentmindedly for something, anything, to tell her that this was all fake, that it was all a horrible, horrible nightmare. When she finally looked back at him, his eyes were downcast and he was chewing his lip in that nervous habit of his. If he was happy the way he was, why would he look so forlorn? Shouldn't he feel... blissful? Not that she wanted him to BE bent of course, but if Harry was than he was and... Well, she'd be there for him when she could.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Hermione beat her to it.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, leaning closer to him to catch his gaze.

Harry's eyes stayed cast downward, but he grunted a reply to acknowledge her question.

"Mm?"

Steeling herself, Hermione took a deep breath and continued.

"Are you... into... boys?"

Harry sighed and nodded mutely. He didn't trust his voice at the moment, as his mind was conjuring images of his kiss with Draco. Malfoy, damnit.

He could almost feel those cool hands firmly holding his face again... the solid body of warmth underneath him as he straddled him... the smile that looked up at him... Merlin he could even feel those lips again if he closed his eyes and remembered...

Groaning, he realized he was getting himself hard all over again and leaned forward to put his head in his hands.

This movement brought him closer to Hermione though, and he couldn't avoid her gaze. Looking at her with sad eyes that were prickling with fresh tears, he said quietly, "He's one of _them_ 'Mione"

This did nothing to clear up Hermione's confusion, however, so she looked to Ginny for explanation. She had, obviously, seen what happened.

Ginny, whose heart was breaking more and more by the second, sighed heavily and replied with the one word that would explain everything.

Everything Hermione wanted to know, that is.

"Malfoy..."

Hermione's heart started racing as an explosion of images struck her mind all at once, making her widen her eyes as she pieced more and more of the puzzle together.

Draco needing help. Draco specifically asking not to tell Harry. Draco throwing himself away from her when he touched her. But there was still... Wait... What was it he had said? 'the more I think about P.'... P... _Potter!_ Of course! Now that she thought about it, the only people Draco used first names with, were male. Merlin, what else had she missed?

Looking up at Harry, she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"It's alright, Harry. What do you mean he's 'one of them', though?"

Images of writhing ink and skin replaced the sensual ones Harry had been sifting through, and tears leaked out of his eyes again.

"_Them_, 'Mione. I saw it on his arm... It was moving..." As he finished, tears were flowing steadily down his cheeks. He had been so gentle with Harry, how could he be one of them? Harry knew what the moving Mark meant, that Voldemort was calling them. Which meant _he_ was probably with Voldemort now, gloating about how he humiliated the Boy who Lived and made him want a Death Eater. Merlin, he could never face anyone again after this got out...

Hermione watched helplessly as Harry ran a hand through his hair roughly, and frowned slightly. Malfoy had the Mark already? Does that mean he's actively a part of what Harry was fighting? Or did Lucius, as "convincing" as he could be with even the Ministry, coerce him into it? Thinking back to the few moments in the alcove Hermione had had with Malfoy, she decided a faithful devotee of the Dark Lord wouldn't have asked for help from her... he would have killed her on the spot, school or not, and he _definitely_ would not have said 'please' to her. Not under any circumstances would a true Death Eater say that word to anyone, save maybe in jest. But she didn't see a Death Eater having much of a sense of humor, so that pretty well knocked _that_ out too.

"Harry... I think you should talk to Malfoy." Hermione nodded her head once to emphasize her point.

Looking up slowly, Harry stared at Hermione as if she had sprouted Blast-Ended Skrewts from her ears.

"Are you bloody well _insane_ 'Mione? He's a fucking _Death Eater_! He's probably getting off with Voldemort right now at having humiliated me today, and you want me to _talk to him_?" His voice became a high-pitched shriek as he finished, gaping at Hermione incredulously.

She glared at him simply, pursing her lips in a perfect rendition of Molly Weasley when the twins got up to something new.

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry. I'll have you know he spoke to me earlier." Chewing her lip nervously, she stopped. She made a promise not to tell Harry about Malfoy's _condition_, not that he talked to her. Besides, if she said anything of the curse, Harry might get even more upset and think _that_ was the reason for... whatever they apparently got up to earlier.

Harry quirked an eyebrow skeptically, and asked, "Oh? What did he say? 'Get of of the way'?"

Hermione stuck her chin up a fraction of an inch.

"No. He needed help with something, and he actually came to me for it. And before you ask, I promised not to tell anyone until it was all over with."

Harry went silent, and Ginny finally spoke up.

"Wait... so... he was _nice_ to you Hermione?"

When Hermione nodded, Ginny frowned in thought again. If he was nice to Hermione, a so called 'Mudblood' to the Dark Lord's followers... maybe she was wrong about him. After all, he didn't _seem_ very anxious to kill Harry in the hallway earlier... But Harry did just say he was Marked, which means he DID associate with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the very least. This was all too confusing for one night.

"I think.. I think I'm going to head to bed guys... See you"

Harry and Hermione both nodded, and Ginny trudged off to the Girl's Dormitory, surrounded by her thoughts.

Looking back to Harry, Hermione poked his cheek and laughed.

"Well Harry? Will you do it, or not?"

Forced to smirk at her and exhale once in a light laugh, Harry nodded once.

"But _only_ if I'm sure he isn't... he won't..." He bit his lip again, thoughts running around the idea of the whole school knowing he snogged Draco _Malfoy_.

Hermione seemed to sense where his thoughts were going, and smiled softly at him.

"I don't think he's in it to embarass you, Harry... Trust me on this one."

Something about her confidence in that moment made Harry believe her.

She usually did know what she was talking about after all.

"Alright 'Mione, I'll talk to him. But how do I know he isn't playing me for Voldemort's jollies?"

"Use the map. If he was called to V...him...and he was a true follower... he won't be in the castle right now, will he?"

Harry's eyes brightened as he beamed at the wonderful witch in front of him.

"'Mione, you are a _genius!_"

Kissing her cheek roughly, he pelted up the stairs three at a time and threw open his trunk, ignoring the mumblings of early-sleepers.

Snatching the parchment in his hand, he kissed it and whispered with a glint in his eye, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"

Immediately the map's ink leaked onto the page and Harry opened it up on his four-poster, spreading it out.

"Come on... come on... "

His eyes scanned the page back and forth frantically, searching for the two words that would make his head feel better.

Scanning the dungeons several times, he couldn't find Draco's name and his heart started falling.

"No..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a single pair of footprints in a hallway, just standing still.

With a jolt, he realized it was the hallway he was in earlier... and the footprints read 'Draco Malfoy'


End file.
